KR102042625B1 - Improved Ink-jet Head and Method of Manufacturing the Same - Google Patents

Improved Ink-jet Head and Method of Manufacturing the Same Download PDF

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Publication number
KR102042625B1
KR102042625B1 KR1020150182674A KR20150182674A KR102042625B1 KR 102042625 B1 KR102042625 B1 KR 102042625B1 KR 1020150182674 A KR1020150182674 A KR 1020150182674A KR 20150182674 A KR20150182674 A KR 20150182674A KR 102042625 B1 KR102042625 B1 KR 102042625B1
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South Korea
Prior art keywords
plate
inkjet head
nozzle
ink chamber
manufacturing
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KR1020150182674A
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Korean (ko)
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KR20170073912A (en
Inventor
김흥기
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(주) 서진텍
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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/135—Nozzles
    • B41J2/14—Structure thereof only for on-demand ink jet heads
    • B41J2/14201—Structure of print heads with piezoelectric elements
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/135—Nozzles
    • B41J2/16—Production of nozzles
    • B41J2/1607—Production of print heads with piezoelectric elements
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/135—Nozzles
    • B41J2/16—Production of nozzles
    • B41J2/1621—Manufacturing processes
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/135—Nozzles
    • B41J2/165—Preventing or detecting of nozzle clogging, e.g. cleaning, capping or moistening for nozzles
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/005—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by bringing liquid or particles selectively into contact with a printing material
    • B41J2/01—Ink jet
    • B41J2/17—Ink jet characterised by ink handling
    • B41J2/175—Ink supply systems ; Circuit parts therefor
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2/00—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed
    • B41J2/22—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of impact or pressure on a printing material or impression-transfer material
    • B41J2/23—Typewriters or selective printing mechanisms characterised by the printing or marking process for which they are designed characterised by selective application of impact or pressure on a printing material or impression-transfer material using print wires
    • B41J2/27—Actuators for print wires
    • B41J2/295—Actuators for print wires using piezoelectric elements
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J29/00—Details of, or accessories for, typewriters or selective printing mechanisms not otherwise provided for
    • B41J29/12—Guards, shields or dust excluders
    • B41J29/13—Cases or covers
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J3/00—Typewriters or selective printing or marking mechanisms characterised by the purpose for which they are constructed
    • B41J3/407—Typewriters or selective printing or marking mechanisms characterised by the purpose for which they are constructed for marking on special material
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J2202/00—Embodiments of or processes related to ink-jet or thermal heads
    • B41J2202/01—Embodiments of or processes related to ink-jet heads
    • B41J2202/22—Manufacturing print heads

Abstract

The present invention discloses an improved inkjet head and its manufacturing method.
An inkjet head according to the present invention includes an ink chamber formed on an upper surface of a single plate; A nozzle formed to be connected to a lower portion of the ink chamber at a lower surface of the single plate; A piezoelectric plate provided to cover an upper surface of the ink chamber; A piezoelectric element thin film provided to surround the piezoelectric plate; And a ceramic device for power application provided to be connected to the piezoelectric plate, wherein the ink chamber has a tapered cylindrical shape or a cylindrical shape having a wide top and a narrow bottom.

Description

Improved Ink-jet Head and Method of Manufacturing the Same

The present invention relates to an inkjet head and a method of manufacturing the same.

More specifically, the present invention is used for the manufacture of flat panel or flexible display panel including PDP, LCD, OLED, or touch panel, semiconductor, textile material, solar cell for solar power generation (hereinafter referred to as substrate). The inkjet head is formed on the upper surface of the single plate, and then the ink ejection nozzle is formed on the opposite lower surface, and then the piezoelectric plate is attached to the upper portion of the formed ink chamber, By depositing the device thin film in a patterned manner to implement the inkjet head on a single plate, compared to the inkjet head according to the prior art, the generation of burrs in the machined nozzle is minimized or eliminated, thereby enabling the quantitative ejection of ink. In particular, since a single plate and a piezoelectric plate serve as lower and upper electrodes, respectively, a separate electrode forming process is not required. Accordingly, the present invention relates to an improved inkjet head and a method for manufacturing the same, which reduce the overall manufacturing time and simplify the manufacturing process, thereby making it possible to manufacture a highly reliable inkjet head while greatly reducing the manufacturing cost.

In addition, the improved inkjet head of the present invention and its manufacturing method can be applied to the coating nozzle head of the prior art and its manufacturing method, so that the advantages of the inkjet head of the present invention and its manufacturing method are the coating nozzle head and its manufacturing method. All can also be achieved.

In general, an inkjet head has a plurality of nozzles of very fine size, and prints by spraying ink through the plurality of nozzles. Such inkjet heads may be classified into a bubble jet spray method, a thermal jet spray method, and a Piezo jet spray method according to a method of ejecting ink.

The bubble jet spraying method ejects ink by controlling the size of bubbles (bubbles) in the nozzle using a heater disposed on the side wall of the fine tube. More specifically, when the heater is heated, bubbles are generated inside the nozzle, and when the bubbles expand to the maximum, ink is injected, and when the heater is stopped after heating, bubbles disappear to replenish the ink. The bubble jet spraying method does not require an ink storage unit, and the size of the tube and the heater is so small that the size of the head can be greatly reduced, but it is very difficult to make the nozzle arrangement in two dimensions.

Thermal jet injection is similar to bubble jet injection, but is distinguished by the location of the heater. More specifically, the heat generating heater is disposed on the surface opposite to or the same as the nozzle of the ink chamber to eject the ink at the water vapor pressure when the heated ink vaporizes. The thermal jet injection method has an advantage in that the heater and the nozzle arrangement can be two-dimensional, so it is relatively easy to increase the number of nozzles.

Piezo jet spraying method injects ink upon impact based on a signal input from the back of the nozzle. When using a piezoelectric element whose shape changes with voltage as a motive force for ejecting ink, the piezoelectric element deformed by voltage application pulls the liquid level rapidly by controlling the voltage when the liquid level at the end of the nozzle swells. Ink in front of the nozzle face is ejected by inertia.

Among the three jetting methods described above, an inkjet head according to a conventional piezojet jetting method is disclosed, for example, in US Pat. No. 5,748,214, and FIG. 1A is a schematic cross-sectional view of the inkjet head according to the prior art piezojet jetting method. to be.

Referring to FIG. 1A, an inkjet head according to the related art includes an ink storage unit 42 and an ink storage unit 42 storing ink supplied through the port (not shown) and ink supplied through the port (not shown). The ink chamber 15 receives ink from the nozzle, the nozzle 21 for discharging ink from the ink chamber 15, and pressurizes the ink chamber 15 to apply ink to the nozzle 21 through the nozzle connecting portion 20. It includes an actuator for discharging).

The actuator may include an elastic plate 13, a lower electrode 16 disposed on an upper side thereof, a piezoelectric plate 17 disposed on an upper side of the lower electrode 16, and an upper electrode disposed on an upper side of the piezoelectric plate 17. It consists of 18. The ink chamber 15 is formed by an elastic plate 13 on the upper side, a spacer 12 on the side, and a sealing plate 11 on the lower side.

In addition, the ink reservoir 42 is formed by an ink supply plate 24 having upper through holes 26 and 40 formed therein, an ink reservoir forming plate 23 on the side surface, and a nozzle plate 30 on the lower side. . In this case, the nozzle plate 30 is also formed with the nozzle 21 for ejecting ink.

In the inkjet head according to the related art described above, when voltage is applied to the actuator, the piezoelectric plate 17 is deformed, and ink in the ink chamber 15 is discharged through the nozzle 21 by the pressure generated at this time.

Alternatively, three silicon substrates (upper substrate, intermediate substrate, lower substrate) may be precisely processed by MEMS and then laminated to manufacture an inkjet head (see Korean Patent No. 10-0519760).

The inkjet head and its manufacturing method according to the above-described prior art generate burrs in the nozzles processed by the punching process, and also occur due to the rapid change in the cross-sectional area from the ink chamber 15 to the nozzles 21. Due to the limitation on the formation of fine ink droplets, it is difficult to discharge the quantitative ink through the nozzle 21, thereby reducing the reliability of the inkjet head, increasing the tact time, and the complicated manufacturing process. There is a problem that the price increases significantly.

Another conventional technique has been proposed and used to solve the problems of the above-described conventional inkjet head and its manufacturing method, or alternative manufacturing method using a silicon substrate and MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) method.

1B-1D illustrate another prior art inkjet head and its manufacturing method.

More specifically, Figure 1b is a plan view and a cross-sectional view of another conventional inkjet head, Figure 1c is a plan view and a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of the arrangement of the inkjet head according to another prior art, Figure 1d Is a block diagram showing a method of manufacturing an inkjet head according to another prior art. The inkjet head according to another prior art illustrated in FIGS. 1B to 1D is, for example, a piezoelectric inkjet printhead and a manufacturing method of June 17, 2003, by Jo Young-Joon et al. It is described in detail in Korean Patent No. 10-0481996, filed 2003-0039048 and registered March 31, 2005.

1B to 1D, another inkjet head according to the related art is an ink distribution unit which is a structure through which ink is distributed until ink is supplied and sprayed through a nozzle, and an actuator for applying pressure to the ink and discharging it through the nozzle. Section and an ink supply section for supplying ink through the through-holes.

The ink flow portion is composed of a nozzle plate 52 disposed at the lowermost side, a channel plate 56 disposed above the nozzle plate 52, and a spacer 72 disposed above the channel plate 56. . The nozzle plate 52 is formed with a nozzle 52a penetrating in the vertical direction, and a tapered portion 54 is formed at an upper portion of the nozzle 52a. The channel plate 56 is connected to the spacer 72 above and the taper 54 below to extend the space inside the ink chamber 78, and an ink passage 58 is formed at one side thereof.

The actuator unit may include an elastic plate 70 disposed below the lower plate, a lower electrode 60 disposed above the elastic plate 70, a piezoelectric plate 62 disposed above the lower electrode 60, and the piezoelectric plate. And an upper electrode 68 disposed on the upper side of 62, and a protective layer 66 disposed on the upper electrode.

Here, the spacer 72, which is the uppermost end of the ink supply unit, and the elastic plate 70, which is the lower end of the actuator unit, are coupled, and the elastic plate 70 is upper side, the spacer 72, and the channel plate 56 therein. ) Is a side portion, and the ink chamber 78 in which the nozzle plate 52 constitutes a lower side is formed.

The ink supply portion penetrates through the actuator portion and the spacer 72 from an ink supply cylinder (not shown), an ink supply cylinder (not shown) that supplies ink to the ink chamber 78, and the ink passage 58 It consists of the through-hole 64 which reaches).

Meanwhile, an electrode pad 74 is formed at one side of the protective layer 66 to be electrically connected to an external control circuit (not shown).

FIG. 1C is a plan view and a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of the arrangement of the inkjet head according to another prior art shown in FIG. 1B. Another prior art inkjet head is a single module of the inkjet head shown in FIG. One embodiment is shown with nine modules arranged in the same plane in a 3 × 3 matrix.

Referring to FIG. 1D in conjunction with FIG. 1B, another method of manufacturing an inkjet head according to the related art shown in FIG. 1B firstly includes a ZrO 2 green sheet having a thickness of 3 mm obtained by a tape casting or doctor blade method. Place it (S110). The ZrO 2 green sheet serves as the elastic plate 70. As the material of the elastic plate 70, in addition to ZrO 2 , BaTiO 3 , which is easily thinned, and Al 2 O 3 having excellent thermal characteristics may be used.

Thereafter, the lower electrode 60 is printed on the upper side of the green sheet (S112), the spacer 72 is printed on the lower side of the green sheet at a thickness of 120 mm (S114), and the lower side of the spacer 72 has a thickness of 40mm. The channel plate 56 is printed (S116). The spacer 72 and the channel plate 56 are each preferably of the same material as the elastic plate 70. Thereafter, the combined process is sintered (sintered) at a temperature of 1,200 ° C. so that the structure is firm and adhesion between each layer is secured (S118).

Thereafter, a piezoelectric plate 62 having a thickness of 1.56 mm is formed on the lower electrode 60 (S120). PZT is preferable as the material of the piezoelectric plate 62. The piezoelectric plate 62 may be formed by sputtering, sol-gel, or metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The piezoelectric plate 62 may etch a portion necessary to connect the lower electrode 60 to an external control circuit (not shown).

Thereafter, an upper electrode 68 is formed on the piezoelectric plate 62 (S122). As the method of forming the upper electrode 68, a method such as sputtering, MOCVD, and evaporation may be used. On the other hand, the upper electrode 68 is a pad for separating each of the actuators constituting one inkjet head by appropriate patterning (eg, lithography, lift-off process) and electrically connected to an external control circuit (not shown) It includes 74.

After the upper electrode 68 is formed, a protective layer 66 is formed on the upper electrode 68 (S124). The protective layer 66 may be formed by depositing SiO 2 by CVD. The protective layer 66 electrically and chemically protects the actuator from the ink solution, and an ink supply container (not shown) is installed directly on the protective layer 66. To this end, it is preferable to insert an o-ring with corrosion resistance to ink, for example, into a fastener (not shown) or to use an adhesive such as epoxy as a suitable sealing means. On the other hand, the ink supply container (not shown) may already contain the ink itself, or may have a form for having its own internal space and a port for connecting the ink container separately from the outside.

After the protective layer 66 is formed, a through hole 64 penetrating the protective layer 66, the piezoelectric plate 62, the lower electrode 60, the elastic plate 70 and the spacer 72 is processed ( S126). As a processing method, ultrasonic processing, microdrilling, micro blasting with an abrasive, or the like may be used.

Thereafter, the tapered portion 54 is machined into the nozzle plate 52 (S128). The nozzle plate 52 is preferably made of stainless steel or silicon, and the taper portion 54 may be processed by ultrasonic processing, microdrilling, anisotropic etching (silicon material), and the like.

Thereafter, the fine injection hole is processed at the apex of the processed tapered portion 54 to form the nozzle 52a (S130).

Thereafter, the nozzle plate 52 and the channel plate 56 are bonded with an adhesive such as an elastic epoxy (S132). After the bonding process is completed, the manufacturing process of the inkjet head is completed.

The inkjet head and the manufacturing method according to another conventional technique described above are provided by forming the ink chamber 78 and the ink storage unit integrally inside the head to provide an inkjet head of a simpler structure, and is manufactured by forming the nozzle into a single plate. Although the effect of simplifying the process to lower the manufacturing cost and increase the space utilization at the same time is achieved, but still has the following problems.

1. The manufacturing method of the inkjet head includes a large number of process steps, thereby increasing the manufacturing process time and cost.

2. As in the prior art, three plates of the ink chamber plate, the nozzle plate 52, and the elastic plate 70, which are composed of the channel plate 56 and the spacer 72, are used separately, respectively, so that the manufacturing process It is very complicated and difficult to manufacture.

3. In particular, the complexity of the process steps for laminating the lower electrode 60, the piezoelectric plate 62, the upper electrode 68, and the protective layer 66 on top of the elastic plate 70 further increases.

Therefore, there is a need for a new solution to solve the problems of the prior art described above.

1. US Patent No. 5,748,214 2. Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-0519760 3. Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-0481996

The present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, a flat panel or a flexible display panel, including a PDP, LCD, OLED, or touch panel, semiconductors, textile materials, solar cells, etc. (hereinafter referred to as substrate) The inkjet head used for the production of the ink chamber is formed on the upper surface of the single plate, and then the ink discharge nozzle is formed on the opposite lower surface, and then the piezoelectric plate is attached on the formed ink chamber. Then, by depositing the piezoelectric element thin film around the piezoelectric plate in a patterning manner to implement the inkjet head on a single plate, compared to the inkjet head according to the prior art, the occurrence of burrs in the processed nozzle is minimized or eliminated. Ink can be discharged quantitatively, and in particular, a single plate and a piezoelectric plate serve as the lower electrode and the upper electrode, respectively Improved inkjet head, which eliminates the need for a separate electrode forming process, reduces the overall manufacturing time and simplifies the manufacturing process, thus making it possible to manufacture highly reliable inkjet heads while significantly reducing manufacturing costs. And a method for producing the same.

An inkjet head according to a first aspect of the present invention includes an ink chamber formed on an upper surface of a single plate; A nozzle formed to be connected to a lower portion of the ink chamber at a lower surface of the single plate; A piezoelectric plate provided to cover an upper surface of the ink chamber; A piezoelectric element thin film provided to surround the piezoelectric plate; And a ceramic device for power application provided to be connected to the piezoelectric plate, wherein the ink chamber has a tapered cylindrical shape or a cylindrical shape having a wide top and a narrow bottom.

The nozzle head for coating according to the second aspect of the present invention includes an ink chamber formed on an upper surface of a single plate; A nozzle formed to be connected to a lower portion of the ink chamber at a lower surface of the single plate; And a cover member provided on an upper surface of the single plate to cover the ink chamber.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an inkjet head, comprising the steps of: a) forming an ink chamber by processing a tapered cylindrical or cylindrical upper nozzle hole on an upper surface of a single plate using an ultrasonic wave processor or a micro drill; b) forming a nozzle on a lower surface of the single plate by processing a lower nozzle hole having a cylindrical shape to be connected to a lower portion of the ink chamber by using the ultrasonic processor or the micro drill; c) providing a piezoelectric plate to cover the top surface of the ink chamber formed on the top surface of the single plate, and then forming a piezoelectric element thin film to surround the piezoelectric plate; And d) connecting a ceramic device for power application to the piezoelectric plate.

Using the improved inkjet head and its manufacturing method according to the present invention, the following advantages are achieved.

1. The generation of burrs in the machined nozzles is minimized or eliminated to allow for quantitative ejection of ink.

2. In particular, since a single plate and a piezoelectric plate serve as lower and upper electrodes, respectively, a separate electrode forming process is unnecessary.

3. The total manufacturing process time is reduced and the manufacturing process is simplified.

4. It is possible to manufacture an inkjet head with high reliability, but the manufacturing cost is greatly reduced.

5. Since it can be applied to the coating nozzle head of the prior art and its manufacturing method, the advantages of the inkjet head of the present invention and the manufacturing method thereof can be achieved both in the coating nozzle head and the manufacturing method thereof.

Further advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like or similar reference numerals indicate like elements.

1A is a schematic cross-sectional view of an inkjet head by a piezojet injection method of the prior art.
1B is a view showing a plan view and a cross-sectional view of another ink jet head according to the prior art.
1C is a plan view and a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the arrangement of the inkjet head according to the prior art.
1D is a block diagram illustrating a method of manufacturing an inkjet head according to another prior art.
2A is a schematic cross-sectional view for describing an inkjet head and a method of manufacturing the same according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2B is a schematic cross-sectional view for describing an inkjet head and a manufacturing method thereof according to an alternative embodiment of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2A.
FIG. 2C is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a coating nozzle and a manufacturing method to which an inkjet head and a manufacturing method thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention are applied.
3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manufacturing an inkjet head according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to embodiments and drawings of the present invention.

2A is a schematic cross-sectional view for describing an inkjet head and a method of manufacturing the same according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2A, an inkjet head 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include an ink chamber 215 formed on an upper surface of a single plate 225; A nozzle 221 formed at a lower surface of the single plate 225 to be connected to a lower portion of the ink chamber 215; A piezoelectric plate 217 provided to cover the top surface of the ink chamber 215; A piezoelectric element thin film 229 provided to surround the piezoelectric plate 217; And a ceramic element 228 for power application provided to be connected to the piezoelectric plate 217, wherein the ink chamber 215 has a tapered cylindrical shape or a cylindrical shape having a wide top and a narrow bottom. .

In the inkjet head 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the single plate 225 and the piezoelectric plate 217 have functions of a lower electrode and an upper electrode, respectively.

In addition, in the inkjet head 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the piezoelectric element thin film 229 seals the piezoelectric plate 217 to maintain the sealed state of the ink chamber 215. . In this case, the piezoelectric element thin film 229 has not only a sealing function but also a function as an additional piezoelectric element.

In addition, in the inkjet head 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the material of the single plate 225 may be any one of stainless steel, Ti, and ZrO 2 , and the piezoelectric element thin film 229. The material may be any one of ZrO 2 , BaTiO 3 and Al 2 O 3 , but is not limited thereto.

Hereinafter, a detailed manufacturing method of the inkjet head 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

Referring back to FIG. 2A, in order to manufacture the inkjet head 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention, first, a tapered shape is formed on a top surface of a single plate 225 using a known ultrasonic processor or a known microdrill. The upper nozzle hole is processed to form the ink chamber 215. When using a known ultrasonic processing machine, the output frequency is approximately 36 to 45 Hz, the DC applied voltage is approximately 24 V, and the rotational revolution per minute (RPM) of the processing machine head is preferably approximately 5,000 to 15,000. The ink chamber 215 formed as described above has a height of approximately 200 to 300 mm in the upper nozzle hole, a lower width of approximately 0.4 to 1 mm in the upper nozzle hole, and a tapered inclination angle θ of approximately 120 to 130 degrees with respect to the inner lower plane. However, it is not limited thereto. In this case, the shape of the upper nozzle hole may be implemented as a tapered cylindrical shape in which the lower portion is narrowed or in a tapered truncated tetrahedron shape in which the lower portion is narrowed, but is not limited thereto.

Thereafter, a lower nozzle hole of a cylindrical shape is formed on the lower surface of the single plate 225 so as to be connected to the lower portion of the ink chamber 215 by using a known ultrasonic processor or a known micro drill. do. When using a known ultrasonic processing machine, the output frequency is approximately 36 to 45 Hz, the DC applied voltage is approximately 24 V, and the rotational revolution per minute (RPM) of the processing machine head is preferably approximately 5,000 to 15,000. The nozzle 221 thus formed has a height of about 40 to 100 mm in the lower nozzle hole, and a size (ie, diameter) of the lower nozzle hole is preferably about 10 to 70 mm, but is not limited thereto.

As described above, since the nozzle 221 formed on the lower surface of the single plate 225 is processed using an ultrasonic processor or a micro drill, a burr may occur in the lower nozzle hole constituting the nozzle 221. Minimized or eliminated, it is possible to discharge the ink discharged through the nozzle 221 when using the inkjet head 200.

On the other hand, the lowermost end of the machined nozzle 221 may be present although it is very unlikely that a burr protruding outward from the lower surface of the single plate 225. In consideration of the minute burr occurrence and foreign matter generation on the lower surface of the single plate 225, the method of manufacturing the inkjet head 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a nozzle on the lower surface of the single plate 225 After forming 221, the lower surface of the single plate 225 is subjected to a surface treatment process (e.g., surface roughness of less than 1 kW (Om Strong)) by polishing (mirror polishing) using an end mill. Surface treatment), and a cleaning process for cleaning the surface-treated single plate 225 using, for example, an ultrasonic cleaner, for example, in alcohol for about 20 to 40 minutes. Care must be taken.

Then, the method of manufacturing the inkjet head 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the piezoelectric plate 217 is adhesively attached to cover the upper surface of the ink chamber 215 formed on the upper surface of the single plate 225. After providing the semiconductor layer, the piezoelectric element thin film 229 is formed by patterning and depositing a piezoelectric element material by a sputtering method using a mask pattern (not shown) to surround the piezoelectric plate 217. In this case, the thickness of the patterned piezoelectric element thin film 229 is preferably 3 μm (micron) or less. The formed piezoelectric element thin film 229 not only functions to seal the piezoelectric plate 217 to maintain the sealed state of the ink chamber 215, but also has a function as an additional piezoelectric element.

Thereafter, when the ceramic element 228 for power application is connected to the piezoelectric plate 217, the manufacturing process of the inkjet head 200 is completed. The ceramic element 228 for power application connects the piezoelectric plate 217 to an external electric power (for example, ie, pulsed DC power: not shown) to vibrate the piezoelectric element thin film 229 formed on the piezoelectric plate 217. The ink in the ink chamber 215 is discharged through the nozzle 221. The connection between the piezoelectric plate 217 and the external electric power using the ceramic element 228 for power application and the ejection operation of the piezoelectric element thin film 229 will be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be fully understood without a detailed description.

On the other hand, in the inkjet head 200 manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in Figure 2a the ink storage unit for supplying the ink indirectly to the ink chamber 215 formed on the upper surface of the single plate 225 Although not specifically described (not shown) or an ink source (not shown) to supply in a direct manner, such an ink reservoir (not shown) or ink source may be the top or side of the single plate 225. The ink may be supplied through a separate ink supply path (eg, a passage in fluid communication with the ink chamber 215) provided to and connected to the ink chamber 215.

FIG. 2B is a schematic cross-sectional view for describing an inkjet head and a manufacturing method thereof according to an alternative embodiment of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2A.

Referring to FIG. 2B, an inkjet head 200 and a method of manufacturing the inkjet head 200 according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention and the method of manufacturing the same are shown in FIG. 2A. And the ink chamber 215 is substantially the same as the inkjet head 200 and the manufacturing method thereof according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2A except that it has a cylindrical shape instead of a tapered shape. The detailed description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 2C is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a coating nozzle and a manufacturing method to which an inkjet head and a manufacturing method thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention are applied.

For example, in the prior art, a coating nozzle head (not shown) such as a slit die nozzle head or the like for applying a plating liquid or ink (hereinafter referred to as ink) on a substrate is used. Such a coating nozzle head is typically composed of two lips (ie, first and second lips) facing each other, and an ink chamber is formed on the inner surface of either one of the first and second lips, At the lower end of the ink chamber, a gap is formed between the first lip inner surface and the corresponding second lip inner surface, and a nozzle is formed which is opened outward from the bottom of the gap. This prior art coating nozzle head is also implemented as a two piece lip, which makes the manufacturing process and method complicated and increases the manufacturing cost.

2C, the coating nozzle head according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes an ink chamber 215 formed on an upper surface of the single plate 225; A nozzle 221 formed at a lower surface of the single plate 225 to be connected to a lower portion of the ink chamber 215; And a cover member 226 provided on the upper surface of the single plate 225 to cover the ink chamber 215.

In the coating nozzle head according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2C described above, the process of forming the ink chamber 215 and the nozzle 221 formed on the single plate 225 is illustrated in FIG. 2A described above. Since the inkjet head and the method of manufacturing the same according to an embodiment of the present invention are completely the same, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, although FIG. 2C exemplarily describes that the inkjet head and its manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2A are applied, those skilled in the art will appreciate the alternative embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2B. It will be fully understood that the inkjet head according to the invention and the method of manufacturing the same can be applied as well.

As described above, the coating nozzle head according to an embodiment of the present invention is a coating nozzle of the prior art implemented as a two-piece lip, since the ink chamber 215 and the nozzle 221 are formed in a single plate 225 Compared to the head, the manufacturing process and method thereof can be simplified and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of manufacturing an inkjet head according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3 together with FIGS. 2A and 2B, a method 300 of manufacturing an inkjet head according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a) taper using an ultrasonic processor or a micro drill on an upper surface of a single plate 225. Processing (310) the cylindrical nozzle or the cylindrical nozzle nozzle to form an ink chamber (215); b) forming a nozzle 221 by processing a cylindrical lower nozzle hole on the lower surface of the single plate 225 to be connected to the lower part of the ink chamber 215 by using the ultrasonic processor or the micro drill. 320; c) after providing the piezoelectric plate 217 to cover the upper surface of the ink chamber 215 formed on the upper surface of the single plate 225, the piezoelectric element thin film 229 to surround the piezoelectric plate 217 Forming (330); And d) connecting the ceramic element 228 for applying power to the piezoelectric plate 217 (340).

In the method 300 of manufacturing an inkjet head according to an embodiment of the present invention described above, the nozzle 221 is formed on the bottom surface of the single plate 225 between step b) and step c). Thereafter, the method may further include surface treating the lower surface of the single plate 225 through polishing, and b2) cleaning the surface treated single plate 225.

Further, in the step c) of the method 300 of manufacturing an inkjet head according to an embodiment of the present invention, the piezoelectric element thin film 229 uses a mask pattern to surround the piezoelectric plate 217 to form a piezoelectric element material. It may be formed by patterning and depositing the sputtering method.

As described above, in the improved inkjet head 200 and the manufacturing method of the present invention, 1) the occurrence of burrs in the machined nozzle 221 is minimized or eliminated to enable the quantitative ejection of the ink, 2 In particular, since the single plate 225 and the piezoelectric plate 217 act as the lower electrode and the upper electrode, respectively, a separate electrode forming process is unnecessary, and 3) the total manufacturing process time is reduced and the manufacturing process is reduced. The effect of simplifying and 4) manufacturing the inkjet head 200 with high reliability while being able to manufacture is greatly reduced.

In addition, since the improved inkjet head 200 of the present invention and the manufacturing method thereof can be applied to the coating nozzle head of the prior art and the manufacturing method thereof, the advantages of the inkjet head of the present invention and the manufacturing method thereof are as follows. All can also be achieved in the production method.

As various modifications may be made to the constructions and methods described and illustrated herein without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings be exemplary, and not intended to limit the invention. It is not. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited by the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

11: sealing plate 12,72: spacer
13,70: elastic plate 15,78,215: ink chamber
16, 60: lower electrodes 17, 62, 217: piezoelectric plate
18, 68: upper electrode 20: nozzle connection portion
21, 52a, 221: nozzle 23: ink reservoir forming plate
24: ink supply plate 26, 40, 64: through hole
30, 52: nozzle plate 42: ink reservoir
54: taper portion 56: channel plate
58: ink passage 66: protective layer
74: electrode pad 200: inkjet head
225: single plate 226: cover member
228: ceramic element for power application 229: piezoelectric element thin film

Claims (12)

In an inkjet head,
An ink chamber formed on the upper surface of the single plate;
A nozzle formed to be connected to a lower portion of the ink chamber at a lower surface of the single plate;
A piezoelectric plate provided to cover an upper surface of the ink chamber;
A piezoelectric element thin film provided to surround the piezoelectric plate; And
A ceramic device for power application provided to be connected to the piezoelectric plate
Including,
The ink chamber has a tapered cylindrical shape or a cylindrical shape having a wide top and a narrow bottom
Inkjet head. delete The method of claim 1,
And the single plate and the piezoelectric plate each have a function of a lower electrode and an upper electrode. The method of claim 1,
And the piezoelectric element thin film has a function of sealing the piezoelectric plate so as to maintain a sealing state of the ink chamber and a function as a piezoelectric element. The method according to any one of claims 1 and 3 to 4,
The material of the single plate may be any one of stainless steel, Ti, and ZrO 2 ,
The piezoelectric element thin film may be formed of any one of ZrO 2 , BaTiO 3, and Al 2 O 3 .
Inkjet head. The method according to any one of claims 1 and 3 to 4,
And the ink chamber and the nozzle are each formed using an ultrasonic processor or a micro drill. The method according to any one of claims 1 and 3 to 4,
After the nozzle is formed on the lower surface of the single plate, the lower surface of the single plate is surface treated and cleaned through polishing. delete In the manufacturing method of the inkjet head,
a) forming an ink chamber by processing a tapered cylindrical or cylindrical upper nozzle hole on an upper surface of a single plate by using an ultrasonic processor or a micro drill;
b) forming a nozzle on a lower surface of the single plate by processing a lower nozzle hole having a cylindrical shape to be connected to a lower portion of the ink chamber by using the ultrasonic processor or the micro drill;
c) providing a piezoelectric plate to cover the top surface of the ink chamber formed on the top surface of the single plate, and then forming a piezoelectric element thin film to surround the piezoelectric plate; And
d) connecting a ceramic device for applying power to the piezoelectric plate;
Method of manufacturing an inkjet head comprising a. delete The method of claim 9,
The method of manufacturing the inkjet head is performed between steps b) and c).
b1) after forming the nozzle on the lower surface of the single plate, surface treating the lower surface of the single plate by polishing, and
b2) cleaning the surface treated single plate
Method of manufacturing an inkjet head further comprising. The method of claim 9,
And the c piezoelectric element thin film is formed by sputtering and depositing a piezoelectric element material using a mask pattern to surround the piezoelectric plate in step c).
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Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP4881126B2 (en) * 2006-10-25 2012-02-22 株式会社東芝 Nozzle plate manufacturing method and droplet discharge head manufacturing method

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US5748214A (en) 1994-08-04 1998-05-05 Seiko Epson Corporation Ink jet recording head
KR100519760B1 (en) 2003-02-13 2005-10-07 삼성전자주식회사 Manufacturing method of piezoelectric ink-jet printhead
KR100481996B1 (en) 2003-06-17 2005-04-14 주식회사 피에조닉스 Piezoelectric ink jet printer head and its manufacturing process

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* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP4881126B2 (en) * 2006-10-25 2012-02-22 株式会社東芝 Nozzle plate manufacturing method and droplet discharge head manufacturing method

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